Published by This morning, God turned me back to the OT again. When I first read the chapter, I was trying to figure out what God was trying to tell me today. At first it was a little unclear, but slowly the lesson came to me…
Isaiah 39 – Envoys From Babylon
1 At that time Merodach-Baladan son of Baladan king of Babylon sent Hezekiah letters and a gift, because he had heard of his illness and recovery. 2 Hezekiah received the envoys gladly and showed them what was in his storehouses – the silver, the gold, the spices, the fine oil, his entire armory and everything found among his treasures. There was nothing in his palace or in all his kingdom that Hezekiah did not show them. 3 Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah and asked, “What did those men say, and where did they come from?” “From a distant land,” Hezekiah replied. “They came to me from Babylon.” 4 The prophet asked, “What did they see in your palace?” “They saw everything in my palace,” Hezekiah said. “There is nothing among my treasures that I did not show them.” 5 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the LORD Almighty: 6 The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your fathers have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the LORD. 7 And some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood who will be born to you, will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.” 8 “The word of the LORD you have spoken is good,” Hezekiah replied. For he thought, “There will be peace and security in my lifetime.”
Hezekiah had been going through a terrible illness that was going to kill him, but God decided to extend his life by 15 years. Merodach-Baladan heard about his illness and sent him some get-well sentiments – a gift and letters. Hezekiah was very pleased and was grateful to the messengers who delivered the goods to him. He showed them around his palace; in fact, the Bible specifically says he showed them everything in his palace. The end?
At first I couldn’t figure out what the problem was when Isaiah, the prophet, was prophesying such negative things for King Hezekiah. I was thinking, people show others around their houses all the time when they come and visit – so what’s the problem? But, as I examined Hezekiah’s response to the prophecy, that’s when the truth and purpose of why God had me read this passage struck me. Like many passages throughout the Bible, this example dealt with pride – a common plague in the world, and one I have dealt with and still do.Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the LORD Almighty:
6 The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your fathers have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the LORD.
It doesn’t just say that King Hezekiah showed the men around, it specifies that he showed them all his goods and “everything found among his treasures” and “all that your fathers have stored up until this day.” This imagery might be for the younger ones of you, but I imagine this huge palace (fit for a king), with a room full of gold coins and treasures like the one that Scrooge McDuck had off of the show Duck Tales, where he could just “swim” around in all his money.
Even in today’s society, it is still somewhat of a taboo to discuss your personal finances – how much you make, how much you’re worth, etc. But, King Hezekiah had no such hesitation; he was probably VERY proud of all that his family had stock-piled, all the treasures that had been gained, given, or stolen throughout their reigns. I imagine that as a wealthy king, he was excited by the constant ooh’s and ahh’s of those he was able to show everything to.
I don’t think showing people around his place was the problem, it was his pride that was the problem – the pride in his wealth, pride in his treasures, pride in his family history, pride in the spaciousness, pride in the neatness of his palace, pride in how many servants he had, pride in how clean and organized it was, and pride in the “personal security” he had built up for himself. This is evidenced in his response to Isaiah…["The word of the LORD you have spoken is good," Hezekiah replied. For he thought, "There will be peace and security in my lifetime."]
He didn’t even care that his sons were going to be made into eunuchs to serve in Babylon, as long as he still had security in his lifetime!!! So, learning point for the day, next time I show people around my house, it’s good to keep in mind that all that I have was given to me by God – not by the great works I have done. And, although it’s not bad to have money, I should not be boastful about what I do have.
